Saturday, July 21, 2007

Aussie

Today I met Mark, he is from Australia and over here working on a visa. He drives a truck for CalArk trucking in Little Rock, Arkansas.

He saw an ad in a newspaper for driving a "lorrie" (their term for a 18wheeler) in America. The agency that placed the ad in the newspaper wanted a large premium for placing him with a company in the US.

He went "online" and found several ads and sent in inquiries, CalArk was the only one that responded.

His visa has run out but he has applied for an extension. The government has 240 days to reply. He could get an extension or they could ask him to leave at a moments notice or they could do nothing and he could be here the full 240 days.

He is staying with our next door neighbor. Only has a limited number of days in Little Rock as CalArk is an "over the road" trucking company, so it doesn't make sense to rent an apartment.

I asked about driving on the wrong side of the road and he commented that it really was not as big of a problem as he first thought. The only time he ever has a problem is when he makes a turn and no one is on the road. Says he has to really think when that accrues.

I hope he gets his visa extension as he is really a pleasure to be around. When I commented that he "talked funny", he replied that he was the only one he could understand.

That reminds me of when I went to Crater of Diamonds SP(http://possumliving.blogspot.com/2007/06/diamond-prospecting.html ), I met a couple from Australia. They had let go their apartment and jobs in Sydney, and were traveling around the world for a couple of years, on the cheap. They were not rich people, either. They said most Americans don't understand how one can live on the road without a load of money, because they are in too much of a hurry.Come to think of it, I guess that's what my blog is about; and yours too, Squire.

I got here through your comment on the yahoo full time site. Nice blog! I was able to spend a month in Australia last March and rented a small RV for two weeks. I drive from Sydney into the Red Center to see Uluru and Kat Tjuta (Ayers Rock and The Olgas). It was an amazing trip, 2400 miles in 15 days, and I love the Aussies. Overall, they are very warm and have a great sense of humor, such as your friend's comment about his accent. Just as he has trouble with making turns on the "wrong" side of the road, that was my only trouble also. My mantra became: Stay on the left, stay on the left. Over and over. I forgot only twice and luckily it was on a nearly deserted street. whew. I am looking at full timing maybe by next summer and would love to hear more about your experiences.

Hey, who you calling "Old Gal"? :) Thanks for the birthday wishes. It was a good one! How neat to have an Aussie next door, if only for a short time.I had the same problem driving when I first came over here...just the corners would confuse me. Tell him the driver is always next to the center line..in both countries..because the steering wheel is on the right side in Oz.Tell him "Howya going mate" for me :) Actually, most of us don't really talk like that, so just say hi for me please :) I think he'll be able to understand my accent :)I hope his visa extension comes through.Do you know where he's from in Oz? I lived in Palm Beach, nth of Sydney.

I wonder if he's actually "english" because we don't say "lorrie", we call them trucks or 18 wheelers. People from the UK call them lorries. His folks may be english.Good for him though, taking the plunge and working overseas :O)